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Hijab and Burkha

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seekshidayath View Drop Down
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    Posted: 22 July 2008 at 7:33pm

As'Salamu Alaikum ,

A non-muslim  sister {Spiritual horse} asked a question at " Introduction section".  As that's meant for only introduction, and not for discussions, here is a thread.

Firstly, i appreciate her intrest to know of hijab / Burkha amongst muslims.

Sister, let us look at the meanings of this word. Hijab is an arabic word. 

"The root word of hijab is hajaba and that means:

(hajb) to veil, cover, screen, shelter, seclude (from), to hide, obscure  (from sight), to make imperceptible, invisible, to conceal, to make or form a separation (a woman), to disguise, masked, to conceal, hide, to flee from sight, veil, to veil, conceal, to cover up, become hidden, to be obscured, to vanish, to become invisible, disappear from sight, to veil, to conceal, to withdraw, to elude perception.

Hajb: seclusion, screening off, keeping away, keeping off,

Hijab plural: hujub: cover, wrap, drape, a curtain, a woman's veil, screen, partition, folding screen, barrier,

Ihtijab: Concealment, hiddenness, seclusion, veildness, veiling, purdah.

Hijab: Concealing, screening, protecting,

Mahjub: concealed hidden, veiled!

These definitions of the hijab were taken from the: Arabic-English Dictionary, The Hans Wehr dictionary of modern  written arabic, edited by JM Cowan.

Then i clicked at Quran search of Islamicity to look for "Hijab" in Quran. The following were the verses

Wabaynahuma hijabun waAAala alaAArafi rijalun yaAArifoona kullan biseemahum wanadaw ashaba aljannati an salamun AAalaykum lam yadkhulooha wahum yatmaAAoona

7:46 Between them shall be a veil, and on the heights will be men who would know every one by his marks: they will call out to the Companions of the Garden, "peace on you": they will not have entered, but they will have an assurance (thereof).

Waitha qarata alqurana jaAAalna baynaka wabayna allatheena la yuminoona bialakhirati hijaban mastooran

17:45 When thou dost recite the Qur'an, We put, between thee and those who believe not in the Hereafter, a veil invisible:

Faittakhathat min doonihim hijaban faarsalna ilayha roohana fatamaththala laha basharan sawiyyan

19:17 She placed a screen (to screen herself) from them; then We sent her our angel, and he appeared before her as a man in all respects.

Faqala innee ahbabtu hubba alkhayri AAan thikri rabbee hatta tawarat bialhijabi

38:32 And he said, "Truly do I love the love of good, with a view to the glory of my Lord,"- until (the sun) was hidden in the veil (of night):

Waqaloo quloobuna fee akinnatin mimma tadAAoona ilayhi wafee athanina waqrun wamin baynina wabaynika hijabun faiAAmal innana AAamiloona

41:5 They say: "Our hearts are under veils, (concealed) from that to which thou dost invite us, and in our ears in a deafness, and between us and thee is a screen: so do thou (what thou wilt); for us, we shall do (what we will!)"

Wama kana libasharin an yukallimahu Allahu illa wahyan aw min warai hijabin aw yursila rasoolan fayoohiya biithnihi ma yashao innahu AAaliyyun hakeemun

42:51 It is not fitting for a man that Allah should speak to him except by inspiration, or from behind a veil, or by the sending of a messenger to reveal, with Allah's permission, what Allah wills: for He is Most High, Most Wise.

These verses which has hijab give us all  the meanings posted at first. You must have now understood what hijab means. Now coming to your question, what's the difference between hijab / burkha ?

Burqa: "A burqa (also burkha, burka or burqua) is an all-enveloping outer garment worn by most Muslim women in Afghanistan, and many in India and Pakistan. It is worn over the usual daily clothing (often a long dress or a salwar kameez) and removed when the woman returns to the sanctuary of the household." (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burqa)

The principle behind the burqa is that it is clothing that maintains personal modesty. Clothing that is worn as recommended by the Qur�an is called Hijab. It is  simply a means of covering face and body from public gaze. Its a way of hijab.

If any questions / doubts arise, you can feel free to ask them here.

Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: �All the descendants of Adam are sinners, and the best of sinners are those who repent."
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robin View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote robin Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 23 July 2008 at 8:10am

That may be OK in the middle east etc., but in western societies, where a lot Muslims live, it is looked upon being an immodest statement about ones faith and look at me and see how different (or better than you) I am to you, not that western societies are modiest in themselves, but it presents and over righteous view of self, even if it is not meant to be!



Edited by robin - 23 July 2008 at 8:10am
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Hayfa Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 23 July 2008 at 2:26pm
Actually Robin..slot of women who wear hijab are not like that.. many have many fears wearing it... from scorn to abuse to discrimination. A small percentage are like what you said. but most are quite sweet and kind women who feel religiously and spiritually they should wear it. They are quite shy in fact.
When you do things from your soul, you feel a river moving in you, a joy. Rumi
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote semar Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 23 July 2008 at 6:42pm
Assalamu laaikum,
 
The following I copied from islamonline.net
 
 
=========
 
 
Hijab Rulling
 
*{And tell the believing women to lower their gaze and be modest, and to display of their adornment only that which is apparent, and to draw their veils over their bosoms, and not to reveal their adornment save to their own husbands or fathers or husbands' fathers, or their sons or their husbands' sons, or their brothers or their brothers' sons or sisters' sons, or their women, or their slaves, or male attendants who lack vigour, or children who know naught of women's nakedness. And let them not stamp their feet so as to reveal what they hide of their adornment. And turn unto Allah together, O believers, in order that ye may succeed.}* (An-Nur 24:31)
This verse shows clearly that Allah has obliged women to wear hijab. But what is exactly meant by hijab?

Hijab is the proper Islamic dress code, which is primarily intended to safeguard the modesty, dignity and honor of men and women. By wearing Hijab, women protect themselves from any lustful gaze or act that may expose them to temptation or harassment of any kind. On the other hand, it protects men from indulgence in vices and unlawful acts.

Hijab does not only refer to head cover, but to the whole dressing of a woman. This means that there are certain requirements for a woman's dress to be Islamic:
  • It must cover the whole body.
  • It must not be tight or transparent.
  • It must not delineate the parts of the body, especially those parts that are sexually attractive.
  • It must not be a dress that is usually worn by men.
Hence, a Muslim woman is permitted to wear whatever she likes as long as her dress has all the legal requirements of a woman's Islamic dress code, and it covers the `awrah (sensitive parts of the body that a woman must cover in front of non-mahrams). This is agreed upon by all scholars and jurists.

However, scholars differ concerning the limits of a woman's `awrah, depending on different interpretations of the verse that is mentioned above, and this entails a disagreement among scholars concerning the ruling of niqab (covering the face and hands); whether it is obligatory or not. The majority of Muslim scholars, including the four schools of fiqh, maintain that niqab is not obligatory. They base their view on many evidence that are discussed below in details. Only some of the Hanbali scholars see that niqab is obligatory.

Here, I'd like to cite for you the different opinions as explained by Sheikh Ahmad Kutty, a senior lecturer and an Islamic scholar at the Islamic Institute of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, who states:

�Allah Almighty says what means:

*{And say to the believing women to lower their gazes and guard their chastity, and let them not display of their charm - except what is apparent.}* (An-Nur 24:31)

Commenting on the phrase: *{what is apparent}* Ibn `Abbas, the famous Companion and the Qur�an exegete, said: �It means face and hands.� In other words, according to Ibn `Abbas, a woman must cover all her body except her face and hands while in the presence of men who are not related to her directly. The list of those in whose presence she needs not cover is clearly outlined in Surat An-Nur 24: 31.

The majority of imams - including those of the four schools, as well as others - share the above interpretation of Ibn `Abbas, and thus hold the opinion that a woman is not obliged to cover her face and hands.

However, a group of scholars, the majority of whom belong to the Hanbalite Juristic School, teach that a woman must cover her face and hands as well. In support of their position they invoke a tradition attributed to the Prophet, peace and blessings be on him, stating: �Woman is all `awrah�, and hence as such, needs to completely be covered up. They also reason by saying that the most attractive parts of a woman�s body capable of enticing men are her face and hands.

The aforementioned position of the majority on this issue seems to be more consistent with the general understanding and evidences of the Qur�an and Sunnah than of those who advocate covering the face and hands as well. There are several proofs which point to this conclusion:

Firstly, the verse quoted above from the Qur�an seems to presume that the women it addresses are not wholly covered, i.e. face and hands. Otherwise, there is no sense in ordering both genders to lower their gazes.

Secondly, it is a general consensus among scholars that a woman is not required to cover her face and hands while performing salah (ritual prayers). If these were deemed to be `awrah, it would certainly have been necessary to cover them.

Thirdly, a woman is required to bare her face while she is in a state of ihram (consecration during Hajj and `Umrah). This again confirms what we said earlier.

Moreover, the evidences in the sources � the Qur�an and the Sunnah - are overwhelming in showing that the hijab, as prescribed by Islam, was not meant to segregate women or shut them out of the social involvement and participation in the affairs of the Muslim community. This is since the participation of Muslim women - at all levels of Islamic life - is fully documented beyond a shadow of doubt in the sources of Shari`ah. Such active participation as described in the sources is conceivable only if we assume that women were not wholly covered from head to toe.

In light of the above, we conclude: a Muslim woman is required to cover all her body except her face and hands, according to the majority of scholars belonging to all schools. Covering the head, however, is not at all a disputed issue among them - they all agree that this is a necessary part of hijab.�

From Sheikh Kutty'swords, we derive that there is no controversy regarding covering the whole body except for the face and hands. The controversy occurs in respect of covering the face and hands. The majority of scholars say it is not obligatory, while few others maintain it is obligatory. This, in turn, requires that a woman must abide by the agreed ruling which stipulates that a woman must cover her whole body except the face and hands.

As for the controversial part of the issue, we should think of it as a sign of Allah's mercy that He left some things open, so that there will be no hardship for people, and that they can make use of such things according to their own benefit. For example, if a woman is so beautiful to the extent that she attracts men's attention and her beauty tempts them, she would cover her face, as an aspect of preventing harm, even if it is agreed that niqab is not obligatory. On the other hand, some women may have some breathing or skin problems that they do not tolerate wearing face cover. Here, we realize that the difference of opinion in relation to niqab is really an aspect of Allah's mercy.

Finally, I'd like to stress that differences among scholars are only in minor and secondary things, and never in the fundamentals of faith. This is in fact an aspect of God�s mercy, as the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him said:

�Allah has prescribed certain obligations for you, so do not neglect them; He has defined certain limits, so do not transgress them; He has prohibited certain things, so do not do them; and He has kept silent concerning other things, out of mercy for you and not because of forgetfulness, so do not ask questions concerning them.� (Reported by ad-Darqutni.)

Dear brother, if you have further inquiries, do not hesitate to write back. May Allah guide you and us all to that which pleases him. Ameen!

Thank you and please keep in touch.
============


Edited by semar - 24 July 2008 at 4:38pm
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seekshidayath View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote seekshidayath Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 23 July 2008 at 7:07pm
 
The arabic words used in the verses  are "Khimaar" and "jilbaab" "Juyub".  These are terms used in the ayah of hijab . Can you {semar} get us the meanings of the these root words. This shall help us to understand it in a better way.
 
 
Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: �All the descendants of Adam are sinners, and the best of sinners are those who repent."
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote semar Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 24 July 2008 at 4:40pm
Assalamu laikum Br. Seeks,
 
I am sorry brother, this was not written by me but I copied it from islamonline.net. So I'll not give any comment about it.
Salam/Peace,

Semar

"We are people who do not eat until we are hungry and do not eat to our fill." (Prophet Muhammad PBUH)

"1/3 of your stomach for food, 1/3 for water, 1/3 for air"
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Shasta'sAunt Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 24 July 2008 at 6:07pm
Let us not forget that men are commanded to wear hijab also.
�No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.�
Eleanor Roosevelt
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote seekshidayath Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 24 July 2008 at 7:03pm
[QUOTE=semar]Assalamu laikum Br. Seeks,
 
I am sorry brother, this was not written by me but I copied it from islamonline.net. So I'll not give any comment about it.
[/QUOTE
 
Wa'laikum salam wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuhu
 
Dear brother, i did not mean to argue or debate. Nor am against any fatwa. As the topic itself is hijab and Burkha, i thought to get into deep discussion of the subject. 
 
As those were the words of the ayah, i wanted them to get translated. Thats it. It  may give us a better and more understanding were my opinion.
 
Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: �All the descendants of Adam are sinners, and the best of sinners are those who repent."
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